


Of Witches and Spiders

by qwertyopia



Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Compliant, EDITH Glasses (Marvel), Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Relationships, F/M, Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt/Comfort, I Tried, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I'm Bad At Tagging, Magic, Not A Fix-It, Occasional Humour, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Post-Spider-Man: Far From Home, Teen Angst, The Author Regrets Nothing, Witchcraft, Witches, Witness Protection, my first serious fic? oof, the moon is me and i am the moon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:49:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 13,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28396437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/qwertyopia/pseuds/qwertyopia
Summary: One second, Peter's identity was put out there, smack dab in the middle of New York and probably the world. The next, he was in the backseat of a black SUV, going across the country in witness protection of sorts...What could go wrong?What could go right?
Relationships: May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker, Michelle Jones/Peter Parker, Peter Parker/Original Character(s), Peter Parker/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 14





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, everybody ! if you know me from other fanfictions i've written, it's nice to see you again :) if you're new: welcome!
> 
> i've been in the process of writing an avengers crackfic fixit for a little over a year now, but i wanted to write this, so i did. there's no clear posting schedule yet (since i'm not completely done with it), but this will be finished a lot faster than How Did We Get Here?, which is my other fic. check it out if you haven't yet !
> 
> if you're new (or a seasoned veteran) to me and my writing, this story is going to be a bit more serious than what i've written before. and it's an angst train, but it'll all work out in the end. i hope you enjoy it :)

Peter didn’t quite remember much of the past couple of days, it was a blur. One second, his identity was put out there, smack dab in the middle of New York and probably the world, and he quickly dropped MJ off at her house, hoping no one was able to actually identify her. The next, he was in the backseat of a black SUV while Maria and May sat up front, going across the country in witness protection of sorts, but for superheroes.

Peter sat in the mostly empty room of his and May’s new apartment in San Francisco, feeling distraught as he looked at the two boxes of stuff he was able to bring. He was hardly able to say goodbye to MJ, if he could even call it that, and he didn’t get to say goodbye to Ned. Him and May had to trash their phones and other things before they could leave. It was just him and May now, and although he was happy he at least had  _ someone _ , it wasn’t enough to stop the loneliness and crippling anxiety that washed over him in waves. 

So he didn’t leave his room for a few days. He didn’t unpack his stuff. He only ate when May pushed him to, just so she had one less thing to worry about. That was another feeling that plagued Peter too, the guilt of uprooting her life accidentally and involuntarily, as well as the guilt of leaving everyone else he cared about behind with no warning or notice. That was currently the heaviest weight on his shoulders. He didn’t want to stress out May though, so he put on a fake smile and did his best to not be a burden.

Maria stayed for a few days, making sure they had everything they needed for their new lives before she had to report back to New York. She gave them new names, with new IDs, passports, birth certificates, and social security numbers. May and Peter Parker were now Mary and Ben Williams, mother and son. 

The small apartment complex was SHIELD property, made to be used as safe houses for agents, so at least they didn’t have to worry about rent. Maria gave them enough cash to last a few months, but May was quickly able to pick up work at a nearby homeless shelter. Although on paper, Mary Williams didn’t have a nursing degree, it didn’t mean that she didn’t want to help people.

After a few months of being in San Fran, Peter still hadn’t left the apartment, but at least he was leaving his room. He had finally finished unpacking his two boxes; and to be honest it was really hard for him mentally, rather than physically. 

One box contained clothes, and that was the easy part. He did that after his days-long crisis when they first got there. The second box, though? That was the hard part. He eventually started with the lego death star he and Ned built well before the blip. It sat on the lone shelf of his room. 

A few days later, he taped one of MJ’s drawings to the wall across from the death star, near the small desk he had. It was a sketch of him fumbling through the notes for a chemistry exam because he put off studying in favour of spiderman stuff, though she didn’t know that at the time. He was slightly hunched over the desk, pulling at his curls as he tried to figure out how the hell he was going to pass the test. 

His distress in the picture was sort of similar to his current situation, albeit different circumstances. But they both felt like the end of the world to him at one point, except that possibility was more real this time around. Instead of having his grade drop from a failed test, he could endanger himself or worse: someone else.

About a week after that he put a framed picture of him and Mr. Stark on his night stand. It was one of few pictures he actually had of him and his mentor before his passing. Pepper had given it to him after the funeral, and he’d die before he left it in New York. He wiped the finger smudges off of it with his shirt before he put it up, doing his best not to cry as grief draped over him like a blanket.

The last things he took out of the box were the hardest for him. He didn’t touch it for a long time. But eventually he did, and he pulled out his suit and the glasses case for EDITH. These items actually made him angry. Angry at the spider that bit him, angry at Quentin Beck for ruining his life, even in death. Angry at Tony for not being alive to help him figure shit out. 

But he was mostly angry at himself for being so naive and not being smart enough to see everything before it happened, for putting a target on so many people’s backs. So he hid them in the farthest part of his closet, hiding them behind clothes and whatever he could find to try and make him forget that part of his life, the part that  _ ruined _ his life.

He wasn’t Spiderman anymore.

Spiderman was  _ dead _ .


	2. Chapter 2

Luna unlocked the back door of the shop, taking in the smell of old books as she began her opening tasks. She walked over to the refreshment side of the book store and prepped the coffee machines and stocked the glass counter with pastries Rosemary made earlier that morning. Before she could get too deep into her work, she snapped her fingers and calming jazz lofi started to play from the old record player in the corner, but it was loud enough to be heard all through the small shop. She went about her tasks, making sure everything was perfect just in time. 

She whistled as she unlocked the front door and switched the sign over from closed.  _ Books & Brews _ was now open for business. She took her usual seat behind the book sales counter, and picked up the book she left there yesterday, turning to the right page and reading up on new spells. There was going to be a full moon that night, and Luna was going to be at her strongest, magic wise at least.

She wasn’t overly intimidating, and unfortunately the moon didn’t grant her enough power to completely master her illusions and shapeshifting yet. They weren’t  _ terrible _ , but trying to disguise herself to be someone more intimidating was extremely difficult. She was close to _almost_ mastering casting multiple illusions of herself, though.

She was short and thin, but at least Luna wasn’t the shortest in the coven: Shayla had her beat. The fae witch was about 6 years older than her but almost mimicked that of the fairies with her stature and petite build. Luna might not have been the shortest, but she was still the youngest, and the newest. She entered the coven almost 3 years ago on her 13th birthday, as was the normal age for women to join her coven. It was a lifetime commitment, and she came out better for it. Even if she was able to go back in time, she wouldn’t have changed the day she joined.

So Luna sat at the counter, reading up on a spell for happiness and prosperity. Not  _ all _ witches were bad after all. Their coven had banned dark magic well before she, and most of her sisters, joined. They weren’t sisters by blood but by pact. The sisterhood of the coven was a strong bond, and all they had were each other. Her coven was on the smaller side, only having 11 members.

A bell rang as someone stepped through the threshold, bringing Luna out of her thoughts. It was their first customer for the day. She had been a regular for the past couple of months, and she had the same comforting and maternal energy as Agnes. Luna smiled at the woman, getting up from her seat and heading to the pastry counter. “Hey, Mary!”

The older woman smiled back cheerfully. “Hello, Luna! Who’s with you today?” She asked as she scanned the bakery shelves to see if anything caught her eye. Her eyes found a decadent looking raspberry danish, and before she could even ask, Luna was grabbing it and putting it in a pastry box. May took the danish with a grateful smile as Luna began to make the woman’s usual coffee.

“Dawn is supposed to be here in a little bit,” Luna said with a soft sigh and eyeroll. Don’t get her wrong, she loved all her sisters, but her and Dawn were polar opposites which caused them to have the most friction; the girl was a sun witch after all, but luckily it was mostly over trivial things. Dawn always called seniority even though she was only a year older than Luna. May gave her a sympathetic look but didn’t say anything else as Luna handed her the coffee.

“Don’t worry, Luna, I’m sure it won’t be too bad,” May said optimistically as she paid for her items. Luna gave her a hopeful smile as she handed back the change.

“Have you managed to get Ben out of the house yet?” Luna asked, striking conversation. May usually came in with plenty of time to spare before her shift down the street, she was a great conversationalist. Over the past couple of months she had been opening up about her son, as well as other things. Luna was at the shop most days, not having much responsibility in the coven unlike a few of her older sisters and Agnes. So she mostly worked the counter, aside from her two to three days off a week, in which someone else would cover for her. Regardless, everyone worked at the shop at least a couple of days a week, those with more responsibility working less.

“Not yet, he’s still a bit beat up over his father’s passing,” She responded with a sad smile. Things had been tough for May, and although that wasn’t the real reason, it was passable for the situation. She knew it was because Peter was scared of being noticed, of their cover being blown. Luna nodded, resting her elbow on the glass separating them and placing her cheek in her hand.

May didn’t know that Luna could tell when people were lying, but Luna didn’t say anything. She had kept the charade up for months and Luna didn’t want to call her out on it, especially this long in. She knew the pain was real, even if the story was a lie so she said nothing. Something really bad must have happened to her and her ‘son’. And if they weren’t ready to talk about it she wasn’t going to make a fuss.

“Dang, you’ve been hyping us up to meet him these past couple of months, hopefully we can put a face to the name soon,” Luna commented as she heard the bell chime again. She glanced at the door and sighed as she saw Dawn come in, carrying her purse, her lunch, and a bath and body works bag.


	3. Chapter 3

“Hey, Mary!” Dawn greeted as she plopped all her stuff down on the book sales counter. May greeted her in the same kind way she had with Luna. 

“Can you not clutter up the counter,  _ again _ ?” Luna asked with a huff as she walked over to tidy everything up. She glanced into the bag and rolled her eyes. “ _ Really _ ? That’s such a fire hazard!”

“They were on  _ sale _ ,” Dawn huffed as she took out a cinnamon scented one and lit the wicks with her finger. Luna wanted to slap her for being so reckless with her magic but luckily May didn’t witness it. Dawn put the candle on the windowsill and walked over to the pastry side, taking her seat. The older woman gave her a small smile of pity.

“Well, it’s almost time for me to get to work, have a good day you guys!” May called out kindly as she made her way to the door. Before she could make her way out completely, she turned back to Luna. “I’ll try and get Ben to come with me tomorrow. We need to go shopping anyway.”

“I appreciate the sentiment,” Luna said as she saw Dawn rolling her eyes at her from across the room, “but I’m not working tomorrow.”

May nodded her head in understanding, and said goodbye one last time before turning back towards the exit. Luna and Dawn said their goodbyes and glared at each other before going back to their respective work. Another hour passed and Luna was packing up her things, getting ready to leave for the day.

“You doing your moon stuff tonight?” Dawn asked as she played a game on her phone. It had been relatively slow today.

“Yeah.”

“Do you think you could keep it down, then? I swear, the walls are made of paper in that house.” Luna rolled her eyes and left through the front door, the bell chiming on her way out. She enjoyed the cool September breeze that surrounded her. The weather was cooling down more every week, summer having made its exit weeks ago. It made her anxious. Her birthday was coming up next month, which meant that soon there was going to be a new addition to the coven.

Things in the coven happened in threes. Every 3 years, there was a new addition to the coven for 3 years, picked by Agnes with the help of Grace, the second oldest in the coven and Agnes’ second in command. Grace’s magic allowed her to speak with the dead, asking them for help to try and find a potential (that’s what they were called until they were actually inducted into the coven) with magical ability. 

Most of the girls weren’t aware of the abilities they were born with, they usually laid dormant until induction. A few cases though, those girls were already aware of their magic. It was usually the type of magic that was strong yet short lived, and usually spurred by emotions, like Dawn’s sun magic or Tempest’s storm magic. Luna was different, though. She was a hereditary lunar witch, though her magic took a lot of work and training to hone, mostly due to some types of magic she had that  _ weren’t _ common for lunar witches. She just happened to get a head start because of who her mother was.

For the most part, Agnes kept things pretty lax in the coven, and Luna was grateful for that. Everyone did their own thing, had their own specialties, traditions and deities that granted them extra power when called upon. When children were inducted, Agnes had 3 main rules that all the sisters had to follow.

  1. No baneful magic (including but not limited to: blood magic, cursing, chaos, necromancy, etc.)
  2. No outsiders are allowed to know of the existence of the coven
  3. No acts that could potentially betray or harm the coven



Aside from mild bickering between the sisters, there hasn’t been any issues regarding the coven. Things were mostly tame and quiet, and they kept to themselves, not even interacting with other covens. Luna stopped at a nearby bodega to pick up some last minute things for her rituals that night. She was going to manifest positivity and good luck for Mary and Ben. From some of the stories she heard, they had it rough. Even if the stories weren’t  _ entirely _ factual.

Ben was blipped when Thanos collected all the stones. His parents were not, and it was extremely heartbreaking for them. 5 years later when the Avengers brought everyone back, Ben’s father had died, barely being able to reconnect with his son that was brought back. Luna tried to relate but she couldn’t, though she could imagine the heartbreak. Her mom wasn't blipped, but the loss of her about a year later when she died was devastating. She joined the coven shortly after, and they had no casualties from the blip. 

Regardless, Luna knew it was just the thing Ben needed to get him out of the house.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there's some latin in this chapter, i'll post it in the end notes :)

It was nearing midnight, and Luna sat, meditating in the middle of the large balcony as Jade and Grace finished setting up the last of their things. Agnes sat towards the edge of the balcony, watching everyone as they finished everything. “Are you going to try and contact her tonight?”

Luna cracked open an eye, glancing at Agnes. She took a deep breath and turned to face her fully. “Yeah.”

Agnes nodded in understanding. “I wish you the best of luck.”

Luna smiled appreciatively before double checking everything. “It’s time,” Jade called out as they gathered in a circle around Luna. Luna didn’t pay attention to the spells the others were chanting, instead she mumbled a spell under her lips in latin as she let her eyes slip closed. She didn’t fight the darkness that overtook her, and she wasn’t scared by it in the slightest. Darkness was her comfort.

_ Luna opened her eyes and looked up towards the moon. She saw the moon growing closer and she looked down to see that the moon wasn’t getting closer to her, but she was getting closer to the moon. She saw Jade, Grace, and Agnes around her slightly hunched form several yards below her. _

_ “Hey, stranger.” Luna snapped her head up and raised a shaky hand to her mouth in surprise. The woman’s olive skin practically glowed in the night sky, complimenting her brown eyes and youthful face. Her long white hair was blowing slightly in the wind. She wore a white ankle length dress that hung over one shoulder and cinched at the waist, looking similar to an ancient roman tunic. _

_ “Mom?” Luna choked back a sob, floating into her mother’s open arms. The embrace was long and comforting, and it took Luna a few minutes to part from her mother. She followed Lady Luna with watery eyes as the older woman guided her to the top of the golden gate bridge. They sat, dangling their feet off the ledge. “I’ve missed you.” _

_ “I know, honey,” Lady Luna said as she wrapped an arm around Luna’s shoulders. “I know Agnes is taking good care of you, though.” _

_ “I know, and I know I see you every night but it’s not the same…” Luna whispered with a sad sigh. _

_ “I know.” They sat in silence for a while, watching the cars pass and just enjoying each other’s company for the first time in years. Eventually, Lady Luna spoke up again. “Be wary of the future. Something bad is going to happen soon.” _

_ “What do you mean?” Luna asked as she glanced at her mom. Lady Luna turned to face her, her face unreadable. “Does this have to do with the newly inducted coming to the coven?” _

_ “Partially, yes,” Lady Luna said with a sigh as she leaned against the bridge. “She herself isn’t bad, but something is going to happen  _ **_because_ ** _ of her, and I need you to be prepared. The coven is going to break soon. The people you trust are going to betray you, and your closest allies are going to be people who you least expect.” _

_ “What’s going to happen though?” _

_ “The end of the world.” _

_ “WHAT?!” Luna shouted as she leapt off the bridge and floated in front of her mother. Lady Luna smiled sadly and patted the seat next to her. Luna grudgingly took the seat but continued to listen to her mother. _

_ “Odds of survival are slim, but possible. I see red and blue, and I see chaos. I see a box bound by chains, hidden in plain sight. I see people who are not who they say they are, people in the coven that shouldn’t be there. And in the middle of it all I see you, my child.” _

_ Luna looked to the east and saw the faint light of the sun starting to make its appearance. “No, no, no, no no” She muttered as she looked back at her mother. “What’s going to happen?” _

_ “We’re running out of time, amica mea.” Lady Luna whispered with a sad smile as she gently held Luna’s cheek in the palm of her hand. _

_ “No! You- you can’t leave it at that!” Luna exclaimed in panic as tears started to stream down her face. The sky started to change from a dark blue to hues of pink and orange, the moon slipping past the horizon on the west. “Mom!” _

_ “Ego ibo autem protinus te videre, carissimi,” Lady Luna kissed her daughter’s forehead, and Luna closed her eyes as tears slipped past her lids. _

Luna opened her eyes with a start. As she tried to calm her ragged breathing, she looked around and found that the only person still outside was Agnes. “I’m assuming you were finally able to see her?”

Luna gulped and nodded her head. She reached for the moon water that had spent the night charging and took a hefty swig of it, the cool liquid soothing her slightly. “I’ll see you later, Agnes.”

The older woman nodded and watched Luna stand up on slightly shaky legs. “Get some rest, okay?”

Luna nodded haphazardly and made her way inside, stumbling into her room and changing into a dark green t-shirt and black leggings. She glanced at her bed, the exhaustion of the night hitting her but she ignored it, instead running down the stairs to the main floor of the house. “Rosemary!” She called out.

The plump girl looked up from the oven in surprise. Usually she was one of few people awake at this hour. Luna skid to a stop in the kitchen and gave a brief glance to the day’s pastries before looking back at the girl. “Can I take your shift today?”

“Ummm, sure?” Rosemary responded, before taking out the last baking sheet of pastries and snapping her fingers, sending them to the shop to be put up. She wiped her hands on her plaid dress and set to work on making breakfast. With another snap of her fingers, the kitchen came alive. Ingredients started floating to their destinations, the broom started sweeping the floor, the dishes started washing themselves. It was nothing new to Luna since her and Dawn were the most used to it, but it took the other girls some getting used to when Rosemary was inducted to the coven 5 years ago. “Any particular reason why?”

“I need to see if we have a book at the shop.”

“Yaknow, you could just  _ go  _ to the shop like a customer instead of taking my shift,” Rosemary responded, her southern twang coming out. She put her hands on her round hips and gave Luna a sideways glance. Her dark complexion contrasted the lilac coloured dress, and it complimented her nicely. 

“It’s okay, I don’t mind,” Luna responded, grabbing some cooked bacon off the plate as more floated from the pan to the plate. Rosemary sighed, already knowing how difficult it was to sway Luna when she had her mind set on something.

“Okay, just make sure to drink some coffee or something though.”

Luna nodded and ran towards the front door, pulling on her shoes. She grabbed her beanie and the shop keys as she raced out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> amica mea- my love  
> Ego ibo autem protinus te videre, carissimi- i'll see you soon, dear


	5. Chapter 5

Peter sighed and turned over in his bed. He knew May was starting to get worried about him because he wouldn’t leave the house. She said she needed help getting groceries, but he knew it was really just an attempt to get him up and back to his usual self.

As much as he liked to believe that he was going to bounce back to his usual upbeat and optimistic self, a part of him knew that that part of him died with spiderman, and he thinks May knows that too. It’s not like she wasn’t trying to get him back to some semblance of himself, though.

He had perused google maps on a new tablet that May had bought him a few weeks ago in an attempt to get him excited about going out and exploring the city, but the buildings weren’t as tall as New York’s, and it wasn’t as noisy. Every street wasn’t packed with people trying to get where they have to go, and there were more suburbs and neighbourhoods. The west coast just wasn’t the same as his home on the east coast. He had no interest in getting to know the city and its people, and part of that was out of fear that he would get attached to new people. He didn’t want to put any more targets on people. May would call that pessimistic, but he calls it realistic self-preservation.

He heard May moving around in the other room, and he took that as his cue to get ready. He went through the motions of showering and brushing his teeth, pausing for a moment as he was drying off to look at himself in the mirror for the first time in months. His hair was longer, a little past chin and curly. He brushed it out of his face a bit as he looked at his body. He had gotten a bit thinner; he hadn’t eaten anywhere near enough to maintain his old body weight. He didn’t look starved though, so he let it be.

He walked back into his room, towel wrapped around his waist as he sifted through his laundry, looking for an inconspicuous outfit. Eventually, he decided on black jeans, a black long sleeve, and grey flannel. One thing he didn’t like about both New York and San Fran was the fact that both got  _ cold _ . And he hasn’t been able to thermoregulate since the bite. He put on a black beanie to contain some of his hair, but it peaked through the beanie by about 2 inches, some strands curling up against it.

Peter walked out of the room and sat on the couch, waiting for May to come out of her room. He didn’t have to wait long, and soon they were making their way down the stairs, Peter following several steps behind her, moping quietly. They stepped outside and May pulled her coat tighter around herself. It wasn’t necessarily  _ cold _ yet, but the wind made it a few degrees chillier.

Peter followed a few steps behind May as they walked a few blocks. “Are you hungry?” she asked as she turned to look at her nephew. He shrugged, staring blankly at the new environment. She sighed and walked past a few more stores before stepping into a shop. Peter followed her in and immediately took in the smell of old books, coffee grounds, and freshly made pastries. It was surprisingly comforting.

_ It reminded him of MJ.  _

He swallowed the lump in his throat and looked around the small shop. Well, it looked smaller on the outside at least. Inside there were several shelves full of books, as well as a smaller section where the baked goods and coffee sat. He looked to his left and saw a tanned girl looking back at him. She was wearing just a plain t shirt, but her long _grey_ waves of hair caught his eyes, as well as her striking green irises. 

His trance was broken by May.

“Luna! I thought you weren’t working today?” May asked as Luna stepped around the counter and walked towards the pastries. Peter noticed that the top of her head barely reached his chin, which was a stark difference from MJ’s towering height.

“Rosemary needed me to cover for her today,” Luna lied easily as she sipped on her mug. Deception had always been a skill that came easy to her, and it was a waste not to use it sometimes. May eyed the pastries and Peter followed suit. He didn’t really have an appetite anymore since leaving Queens, but there was no way he could say no with how delicious they looked. “So is this Ben?”

Peter snapped his head up at the mention of his new name, looking between May and Luna. May smirked at his deer in headlights look, and Luna let out a soft giggle. “Umm, y-yeah.” Peter responded as he rubbed the back of his neck, a light blush tinting his cheeks.

“See anything you like?” Luna asked, and he quickly looked back down at the pastries. Luna saw him eyeing a pumpkin cinnamon roll, and she grabbed one out of the case, as well as the bear claw she saw May eyeballing. She handed May the boxes and got to work on making May’s usual.

“Here you go, Mary!” Luna said with a smile as she handed the older woman the cup. “Want anything, Ben?”

“Ummm…” He looked up at the drink menu. He didn’t think that far, he just knew that he didn’t like coffee. It was too bitter for his heightened taste.

“You know what,” Luna said, breaking him out of his stupor, “I think I know what to make you.” She got to work on the drink, making casual small talk with May as she sat down at the small table available to customers. Peter took that as his cue to wander. He scanned the shelves, looking at all the books. Some were fiction, some were history, some were just  _ weird. _ He took his time going through all the titles until his eyes stopped on a book.

_ Explaining The Unexplainable: A Guide To Witchcraft _

He grabbed the leather bound book, it was thick and old, slightly dusty from probably years of sitting on the shelf. He opened the book and scanned the yellowing pages. It looked like it was handwritten, the calligraphy was mesmerizing. He walked up to the counter with the book in his hands, just as Luna finished his drink. “Here you go!”

“Thanks,” he said as he grabbed the cup. “How much is this book?”

Luna eyed it before looking back up at him with a smirk. “Interested in the practice?”

“It just caught my eye,” Peter commented with a shrug as he took a sip of his drink. It had a slight taste of coffee, but not enough for it to taste gross. It was really sweet too, and it tasted slightly of vanilla and chocolate. “What is this?” He asked as he looked at the menu trying to find it.

“It’s not up there,” Luna said as she rested her hand on her cheek, elbow propped on the counter. “I guess you could call it a secret menu item. The Luna Special”

“Fair enough. How much for the book though?”

“On the house. Consider it a congratulatory present for finally getting out of the house.” Peter tried to decline the offer, preferring to pay for it but Luna shot him down several times, eventually saying  _ take the damn book, Ben. _ He conceded and took the book, snacking on the delicious pastry May had bought him before they went about their day.


	6. Chapter 6

Luna didn’t see Ben for about 3 weeks. She was too busy to think anything of it, between trying to figure out her mother’s cryptic words, stressing about the pending induction, and setting up for ‘spooky season’. The last week of September, she set about preparing the shop. She busied herself, hanging up enchanted decorations and wards to keep the evil that lurked during this time out of the shop. She put up the last decoration in the shop, officially marking the first of october. She heard the bell chime and she looked up.

“Hey, Stranger!” Luna called out as Peter stepped into the shop completely. She had seen May earlier when she stopped by before work. Peter was again dressed head to toe in black and grey, and his hair peaked out of his beanie a little bit more than the last time she saw him. “Yaknow, you pull off the whole emo look pretty well.”

Peter made a face, an odd mix between a grimace and a smirk, as he walked up to the books, scanning the shelves. Luna followed him casually, smoothing out the wrinkles in her t-shirt, it had been pretty slow the past couple of hours since she traded off with Willow.

“Looking for anything in particular?”

“I don’t know…” Peter mumbled as he glanced at her briefly. In all honesty, he wasn’t entirely sure why he went but he had an idea. May had left hours ago and he read the book Luna had gifted him cover to cover 3 times already since he got it. He was itching to learn more, but google searches had come up empty. It was as if he was on autopilot, grabbing his keys and walking the couple of blocks to the shop that piqued his curiosity and interest.

“Want more books on the practice?” Peter managed a nod and Luna guided him to another section, where the books began to look older and older. This corner of the store was dimly lit from the overhead lights, the sunlight from the large windows up front not reaching that far back.

Luna hummed in thought, tracing the book spines with a finger as she glanced back at Peter. “What do you wanna know more about?” Peter shrugged lamely as he took in the smell of old books and worn leather. She turned back to the shelf and grabbed a book, handing it to him.

“This has some more beginner level spells and potions, as well as some rituals. It’s a bit more in depth than the last book, since that one mostly covered subcategories and basics of the craft.”

“Thanks,” Peter said quietly, giving her a small smile. She returned the sentiment and he followed her back to the front of the shop. Luna sat behind the pastry counter as he looked at the baked goods.

As she did with May too many times to count, she grabbed the cupcake before Peter could even say anything. It was a rich red velvet cupcake, and the cream cheese frosting was coloured to look like blood. It was halloween season after all. She got to work fixing him her special drink, and he took a seat at the small table.

“Do you believe in this stuff?” Peter asked after a few minutes. Luna put the lid on the cup and walked around the counter, taking the seat across from Peter and handing him the beverage.

“What stuff?” Luna asked as she held her ceramic mug and sipped at the tea. He gave her a look, taking a sip of his coffee.

“Yaknow… Witch stuff.”

“I do. Do you?” 

“Honestly? I don’t even know what to believe anymore. I used to know someone that could do cool magic stuff. But he called himself a sorcerer.” Peter nibbled on his cupcake.

“That’s fair. In my opinion, sorcerers usually don’t have to try as hard when it comes to their magical abilities, and they’re mostly magic based, rather than using spells and other things. Everything usually just comes naturally to them, and once they understand something they’ve already perfected it. Witchcraft, though? It’s a constant process of practicing and studying, learning different spells and stuff. It’s hard to truly master witchcraft because there is just so  _ much _ to learn. 

I personally think witchcraft is stronger than sorcery. Once a sorcerer has used all of their magic ability they’re basically prone, while witches can use spells and potions before they deplete their magic, and even then, witches can call upon their chosen deities or entities to lend some of their power. Sorcerers don’t really involve religion in their practice so unless they have someone to help them when their magic is used up, they’re basically screwed.”

Peter nodded his head in understanding, taking a sip of his coffee before asking another question. “How do you know so much about this stuff?”

If there was one thing Luna seemed to love, it was the  _ grey area  _ of life. Nothing was ever black and white, and she could easily bend or omit the truth to her will without breaking the rules of the coven. She had a silver tongue when it came to talking. “I guess you could say my mom was a pythonissam... A witch, of sorts.” 

Peter moved the cupcake away from his mouth and looked at her in disbelieving suspicion. “ _ Was _ ?”

“She’s dead.”

“Oh.”

In the moment of quiet awkwardness, Peter looked away from her and fiddled with the wrapper of the cupcake. Luna played with the ends of her hair, looking out the window at pedestrians as she bit her lip.

“So you live with your dad?” He asked quietly, shifting uncomfortably in his chair and desperate for a conversation change. Luna snorted and looked at him.

“I don’t think i’d live with him if I even knew him. I like where I’m at now.” She brought her coffee cup to her lips and took a swig, leaning back in her chair. Talking about her father whom she didn’t even  _ know _ ? She could do that. “In all honesty, if i were to somehow figure out who my dad is, and show up on his doorstep at some odd hour in the night, my first question would probably be  _ where’s the 16 years of child support you owe me _ ?”

The comment startled Peter into a laugh, clutching his ribs as he doubled over in laughter for the first time in months. His laughter was contagious, and he brought Luna down with him as they laughed to the point of tears in the quiet building.  _ Happiness looks good on him _ , Luna thought as they continued to laugh.


	7. Chapter 7

Peter started going to the shop regularly after that. It wasn’t as frequent as May’s visits were, but at least twice a week he went by to converse with Luna and get a new book. There was a solid stack of old books near Peter’s bed, and he couldn’t quite remember a time where he had read so  _ much _ in his life.

While their talks consisted mostly of the practice of witchcraft, he had learned a few things about her personal life outside of the shop. He learned that her favourite colour was green, and that she had an ungodly obsession with tea and coffee. She was homeschooled, not caring so much for the  _ incels _ \- as she called them- in the public school system. He also learned that she had 9 sisters in her foster home.  _ Nine! _ And they were expecting a new one soon. Peter had always wanted a brother or sister, but having 9 siblings, soon to be 10? He wouldn’t have been able to make it.

In turn, Luna had learned a few things about Peter. He dropped out of school after something (he refused to say what) happened shortly after his father’s passing. If she had to guess, it was probably a suicide attempt. He looked the type to be bullied a lot, and as she was starting to learn, he was really  _ smart. _ Everything piling on top of each other resulting in  _ that _ , it didn’t sound completely off kilter to her. She didn’t press it though.

Halloween was quickly creeping up on them, it seemed. The month flied by in a flurry, and it was just two days until the veil between the living and dead would be at its thinnest; which just happened to be Luna’s birthday.

She sat in the shop and watched as the sun started to set. All but one pastry had sold, and she was getting ready for the end of her shift to be done. The last hour always seemed to drag, and it always reminded her why she hated closing.

She picked up the book she had been heavily guarding the past couple of weeks. It had been difficult to find, but she had found it when she took Rosemary’s shift. The book itself was smaller but thick, loaded to the brim with words that were centuries old.  _ The Book of Prophecies _ was an apt name for it, as it was pretty self explanatory. 

Luna read about the american civil war, the zeppelin airship explosion, the french revolution, World War 2, you name it. The unknown prophet even named the founding of the  _ avengers _ . She poured over every page until the last page, where she found what she was looking for.

_ Wherein I declaer my fienal prophecy in goodly faieth, it is to be known that Pandora’s Box becometh unleash’d, sending creatures and hellfire throughout the world. Those who devoet themselves to witchcraft and other miestical powers shall fieht against the unfathomaebl evil anientising the commenfolk. The battle in which a crosspatch Pandora seeks vengeance upon a longstanding grutch, succor that defeats and seals the gate from Hel is granted by that whom is both human and ettercap, and a bastarde goddess, with the combiend powers of her modor and faeder from difereint paeths of lore, who gaines strengthe and power whence she learns her true naem is _

Luna stared at the torn page in defeat. It was already confusing enough with the stupid old timey language the prophet wrote in, and now any more clues she could get were gone. A quick google search left her even  _ more _ confused, because according to the prophecy, fucking  _ Spiderman _ was supposed to help them seal Pandora’s box.

Spiderman was declared dead 4 months ago.

There was a fire in one Peter Parker’s apartment, and two bodies. DNA testing confirmed that the denounced superhero had perished in the fire with his aunt. It was all over the news for weeks. The case was closed as quickly as it was opened, determining the cause of the fire was faulty wiring.

The only reason Luna knew about it was because Dawn was a die hard Spiderman fan, born and raised in Queens before joining the coven. She would not shut up about how Mysterio was the bad guy all along, and how her precious  _ Spiderman _ could  **_never_ ** do something so horrendous. And when the man ( _ boy _ ) behind the mask was exposed, Dawn was ecstatic to find out they were the same age. She almost burned the coven down in anguish when the news dropped that he had died.

Luna sighed and closed the book, staring out of the window until an idea formed in her mind.


	8. Chapter 8

Peter trudged up the stairs to the apartment, shucking off his large coat as he neared the door. He had stopped by  _ Books & Brews _ to get a new book, and deflated slightly when he noticed someone, who wasn’t Luna, working. The Lady- Noelle- had been nice enough, but she didn’t know the special drink Luna made for him, nor did she know about his and Luna’s tradition, where she would pick a new book for him and they would sit and talk.

He felt weird about leaving empty handed, so he bought a pastry and left. It was even more awkward to tell her what he wanted, when Luna usually knew before he had to say anything. She was kind and patient as he did his best to point out the obscure yet good looking pastry, and he quickly left with a full blush after paying for the treat.

He noticed the small door decorations throughout the complex and was quick to remember that halloween was the next day. He sighed, hoping May wouldn’t put him on door duty. Or worse, try and convince him to wear the  _ suit _ . It was the first time he'd thought about it in months, and the thought nauseated him and made his hands shake.

He tried to unlock the door, swearing as he dropped his keys, and completed the task after calming his nerves enough to function. After missing Luna at the shop, his spidey sense has been going haywire. The hairs on the back of his neck refused to calm down, and it was making him anxious.

He finally managed to unlock the door and pushed it open, dropping his keys again at the sight in front of him. It was like an odd sense of dejavu. He had been in this position before but this time it wasn’t Tony Stark sitting on his couch.

Luna smiled at him behind her mug of coffee before turning back to May, who was talking about her day at the homeless shelter. She cut herself off when she noticed Peter. “Hey! Where’d you go?”

He held up the pastry bag and quietly sat on the recliner to the side of them, glancing between the two as May kept talking.

“But Jan and I helped that poor old man get ready for the job interview, and he was so excited for the opportunity. Did I tell you he’s a war veteran? It makes me so mad sometimes to see how this country treats our veterans.” May huffed out a sigh of disdain and crossed her arms, leaning back into her seat. Luna shook her head and put down her mug.

“At least he’s got this going for him. I really hope he gets the job.”

“Me too. He deserves it.”

“Um…” Peter started, glancing between the two as he unpackaged the baklava. “What’s going on here?”

“You don’t remember?” Luna said as she gave him a look that said  _ just go with it  _ when May wasn’t looking. “I invited you to  _ my birthday trip _ . I know I haven’t talked about it in a few weeks but I thought you had already asked your mother!”

“S-sorry…” Peter glanced between the two and took a bite out of the baklava before May could notice he was lying.

“ _ Cur vexas _ …” Luna muttered under her breath, “Anyways, we’re leaving tonight so I was really hoping that you’d say yes…”

May rubbed a hand over her chin in thought. “Who all is going again? And how long are you gonna be gone?”

“Well, it’s gonna be myself, Grace, Agnes, Dawn, and Ben if you’ll let him. We’re only gonna be like three weeks, tops.”

“ _ Three weeks?! _ ” Peter exclaimed, quieting when Luna shot him a fierce look behind May’s back. “I-I thought it was two…”

“Eh, two weeks, three weeks, what’s the difference?” Luna asked nonchalantly before taking a sip from her mug.

May sat back and thought about it. She didn’t quite like Peter leaving San Francisco by himself, especially after everything that went down  _ last time _ she let him take a trip. But a part of her knew that Peter needed some new friends after leaving Queens, people he could trust. She noticed the budding relationship between him and Luna from day one. She had gotten to know Luna really well the past couple of months and had grown to love the small teen, and Dawn was a bit short tempered at times but had a kind heart. “Okay, but I want a phone call every night.”

“I’ll make sure he calls!” Luna said as she reached across the modest couch and hugged May. She looked towards Peter and pointed a finger at him. “I’ll be back in two hours. Don’t forget to pack!”

With that, she raced out of the apartment back to the coven.


	9. Chapter 9

“Dawn,” Luna panted as she ran into her sister’s room. The girl in question looked up from her phone and sighed.

“ _ What _ , moon girl?”

“I need to borrow your car.”

“ _ What _ ? You don’t even have a license yet! How are you gonna sit here and ask me for my  _ car _ ?” Dawn sat up and glared at the younger girl. Luna took a deep breath and stood in front of her.

“ _ It’d be in the best interest of the coven to let me borrow your car _ ,” Luna said as she twitched her fingers slightly, the slightest hint of magic visible on her fingertips.

“Ugh,  _ as if! _ Don’t even try to use your stupid  _ mind control _ stuff on me,” Dawn huffed as she made sarcastic jazz hands at the words ‘mind control’. Luna groaned as she sat on the bed in defeat.

“ _ Damn _ . I really thought I’d have you with that one…”

“Why don’t you just tell me what’s going on?” The edge of sarcasm slipped from Dawn’s voice as they relaxed further into the bed. Luna sighed and laid back, looking up at the ceiling.

“I… don’t know if I can.” Luna fiddled with the edge of her t-shirt nervously. It seemed that she could lie and trick just about everyone except Dawn. Sometimes it agitated her, but sometimes she was grateful for it. Lying came so natural to her it was scary; sometimes she couldn’t even tell when she was lying. Dawn sighed and laid back with her, phone forgotten.

“How long are you going to be gone with it?”

“Before Agnes and Grace get back.”

Dawn sat up and levelled Luna with a look. “You know they’re going to be gone for a  _ month _ , right?” Luna nodded, her staredown with Dawn unwavering. “I’m not letting you take off into the unknown with my car for a month. I’m coming with you.”

“What? No!-” Luna argued, sitting up to face her sister. 

“I know how you are, and you’re probably going off by yourself to do something dumb. Either you go alone with no car, or we go with one.” Dawn’s tone was one of finality and Luna wanted to scream. She needed the car for her plan, but she wasn’t expecting Dawn to be such a _bitch_ about it. She should’ve expected it, their peace usually tended to not last long.

With a heavy sigh of defeat, Luna walked towards the door, muttering latin expletives under her breath. “Fine, but don’t say I didn’t try to warn you. Pack a bag, we’re gonna be gone for a while.”

When Luna told Dawn to pack a bag, she didn’t mean  _ her whole fucking wardrobe. _ She watched Dawn place two large suitcases in the trunk of her sedan, before placing her lone backpack on top of them as she closed the trunk.

The two teens slid into the car, and Dawn left the driveway as Luna directed her to Peter’s. He was waiting outside with May, and Luna snickered as she saw the woman doting on him. After pulling himself away from May several times, he practically high-tailed it to the car before Dawn could park, ungracefully falling into the back seat with his duffle bag.

“What was that about?” Luna giggled as Dawn pulled off, driving towards the highway.

“She’s clingy.”

“Fair enough.”

Dawn glanced at Peter in the rearview, her eyes squinting a bit. “You look familiar. Do I know you from somewhere?”

Peter’s heart began to race at the question, and her slight new yorker lilt heightened his anxiety. He clenched his fists, his large brown eyes wide with worry as the hairs on the back of his neck flared up in warning. “Yeah, Dawn, that’s Ben. He comes to the shop sometimes. Mary’s kid,” Luna mentioned casually, not realising that she had saved Peter from potentially blowing his cover.

“Oh, that’s right! We never really talked much, that's probably why I forgot your existence,” Dawn said with a casual shrug as she turned towards Luna. “Where are we even going, anyways?”

“Yeah, and what does this have to do with me?” Peter asked meekly as he glanced between the girls. Luna looked back at him with a smirk.

“You remember your sorcerer friend you were telling me about?”


	10. Chapter 10

Peter felt like his life was turning upside down. In his old life, he was a secret superhero that helped save the world from Thanos. Then everything with Mysterio happened and he had to run away from all of that. He had left everything behind to try and save the people he cared about. May, Ned…  _ MJ _ .

Turns out he just exchanged one life for another, even crazier one.

One with witches and magic, and his head was spinning from the information bomb Luna dropped on them. Her mom was the literal fucking  _ moon _ , apparently. Peter didn’t want to believe any of it, but he had seen and learned so much since dawning the spiderman suit that he couldn’t negate the information even if he wanted to. He fought alongside the God of Thunder, for god sakes! Dawn was fuming behind the wheel as Luna finished explaining it to Peter.

And his stomach lurched as Dawn whipped off the highway, slamming the shifter in park.

“Do you even have a clue what you just  _ did _ ?!” Dawn shouted as she turned towards Luna. “You just broke rules two and three of the coven! You’re putting all of us in danger because you can’t keep your damn mouth shut! And now I’m just as guilty by being here. Ben is an  _ outsider _ .”

“But what I need to do is  _ important _ ,” she responded calmly, which made Dawn angrier. Peter gulped as he saw small flames flickering from Dawn’s clenched fists.

“What could  _ possibly _ justify breaking the rules and risking excommunication?” Her tone was icy, easily displaying her anger at Luna and her fears of repercussions.

“I’m trying to save the world!” Luna shouted, causing Peter to flinch. In the month or so of him knowing her, she had  _ never _ raised her voice. Then the gravity of her words sunk in and his mouth hung open in shock.

“Ummmm… What?” He stared at her in disbelief and she stared back, all of her emotions from the past month showing with a deep, unwavering look. Peter broke first and quickly looked away, instead focusing his eyes on the passing traffic that paid them no mind.

Luna began to talk about her meeting with her mother in the astral realm a little over a month ago, and the cryptic warning she gave, along with the warning about people within the coven and the newly inducted that was coming. She talked about the Book of Prophecies, the missing portion of it, and the unleashing of  _ Pandora’s Box _ . The only thing she didn’t mention was Spiderman; and aside from that, she laid all her cards on the table, summing it up with “so yeah, I had to break some rules, because I don’t know who in the coven I can trust. But I need to talk to the sorcerer Ben knows to see how the  _ fuck _ I’m supposed to find a goddess. Unless you guys happen to have one on speed dial, that’s the only lead I can think of right now.”

You could hear a pin drop in the silence of the car. Dawn and Peter were both at a loss for words, unsure of what to even  _ say _ to that. Dawn opted for silence, which surprised Luna, and she put the car back in drive and got on the highway. “So where are we going again?”

They both glanced at Peter and he wiggled uncomfortably under the hot seat as he replied, “New York City.”

“I’ve never been there,” Luna commented as she reclined the seat, pitching her feet up on the dash. Dawn made a weak attempt at arguing the action, but she was still processing the information and Luna quickly won that battle.

“So… where  _ are _ you from? You have a slight accent but I can’t really place it,” Peter said as he leaned forward in the seat, trying to give Dawn as much space as he could.

“I’m from Roma, Italia, but I came to the states when I was ten,” Luna responded casually, resting her hands behind her head. They had a long drive ahead of them, and she was doing her best to make herself comfortable.

“But you don't speaking Italian…?” Peter asked more than stated. Coming from an italian family, he knew a few words and phrases but he was by no means fluent in the language. That being said, he knew enough to know that she was  _ not _ speaking italian when she occasionally used her other dialect.

“I speak Latin, it was my mom’s mother tongue and it’s just natural for me. Though I am fluent in Italian. But knowing Latin tends to make spell casting a bit easier, because it’s one of the craft’s main languages.”

“What are the other ones?” Peter’s curiosity was once again piqued, and for a moment he was able to forget about the impending doom Luna had brought to light.

“There’s quite a bit of them, I know Gaelic is one, Old Norse- which is similar to Scandinavian or other north germanic languages, and Ancient Greek,” Luna rattled off easily, turning her head to smile at him.

“Ugh, Ancient Greek is the  _ worst _ ,” Dawn groaned out, hitting her forehead on the steering wheel for a moment before focusing her eyes back on the road. “I’ve been learning that shit for  _ years  _ and I’m still not fluent.”

“Why don’t you ask  _ Helios _ for help,” Luna joked, wincing when Dawn punched her in the arm. Peter chuckled at the banter, letting himself relax slightly until sleep crept up on him.


	11. Chapter 11

Almost nine hours later, Dawn pulled off in Wells, Nevada. It was about one in the morning, and Dawn was beat for the night. Luna had offered to drive, since she and Peter slept for quite a bit of the trip. Dawn agreed but wanted to stay somewhere for _at least_ the night, seeing as it would be the last bed to sleep in for the next two days, if not longer. After pulling into a dusty looking motel, Peter was able to watch Luna’s magic in action as she hypnotised the tired receptionist into giving them a room and forgetting their existence. Between the three of them, they didn’t have much in terms of the budget for the privilege. And it was smart to try and be as under radar as possible.

After walking into the double bed room, the girls set up some wards and protection spells for security, and Dawn was quick to shower and crash, not even bothering to touch her phone. Luna went in the shower next, changing into shorts and a tank top, and passed by Peter as she dried her grey hair with a towel.

Peter took his time in the shower, his mind reeling from the day's events. He had mixed emotions about everything. It was in his nature to do good and to do the right thing, but he had been royally screwed over last time that happened. But it wasn’t like Luna was asking for help in the  _ fight _ , necessarily. She just needed his connection to Mr. Strange. She was still clueless about his past life’s alter ego. He stayed in the shower until he was shivering from the lack of hot water, and he quickly bundled up in thick layers before leaving the small room.

He glanced around the room, hearing Dawn’s even breaths, but he didn’t see Luna at all. He walked to the small table and noticed that one of the two room keys was missing, so he pocketed the other one and quietly slipped out of the door. 

His bare feet padded along the concrete walkway as he wandered between the motel doors and parking lot on his right. He heard a soft noise in the distance and cut left down the walkway between the motel’s second building, which took him to a swimming pool, empty save for the person he was looking for.

Luna heard the latch to the pool gate open, and turned to see Peter walking towards her as she sat with her legs in the cool water. He sat crisscrossed next to her and they were silent for a moment, just enjoying the quiet. Eventually he looked at her, asking, “You’re not cold?"

“No, The cold has never really bothered me. It’s the  _ heat _ that usually messes with me.” Luna shrugged and looked up at the moon, smiling sadly. “That’s one of the reasons my mom decided to move us, I couldn’t handle the intense summers. Like, anything over 21C has me on the verge of melting.”

“Oof,” Peter responded with a sympathetic wince. “I’m kind of the opposite, anything under 65 and I’m practically a popsicle. I much prefer the heat.”

“That’s  fair, I suppose,” Luna said with a small cheeky grin. He huffed in amusement and he watched her lightly swing her feet in the water. It was a nice calm compared to the crazy, hectic day they had, and he heard Luna stifle a yawn. He didn’t say anything until it happened again.

“You should head to bed, Luna,” Peter urged her with a light touch to her arm. She was  _ freezing, _ but she didn’t seem to notice in the slightest, so Peter said nothing. She looked over at him, ready to argue it, but she cut herself off with another yawn.

“Okay, fine, you win. I'm going to bed. Are you coming in too?” Luna asked as she got up. Water droplets rolled down her legs creating a small puddle at her feet. Peter shook his head.

“I’m gonna sit out here for just a minute longer, I’ll be in soon though.” Luna nodded in affirmation and retreated back to the room, leaving Peter to his thoughts.

After he had a moment to gather them, he sighed and reached into his pocket, pulling out the case he had hidden away for so long. He rubbed his thumbs along the black velvet, feeling every fiber, before finally opening it and perching the glasses on his nose. EDITH greeted him, and he worried his lip between his teeth as he waited for everything to boot up, before making his request.

“Hey EDITH, send a message to Stephen Strange.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a bit more latin in this, translated in the end notes
> 
> also, i use google translate so if it's not 100% correct that's my b. no h8 pls

The rest of the drive was uneventful and long. Aside from quick pit stops for gas and food, they stayed on their course to New York. Eventually, they stood smack dab in the middle of the concrete jungle, staring at the door to their destination. The air was chilly; Dawn and Peter were both bundled up in sweaters and jackets. Luna had a thin long sleeve, but was virtually unaffected as they stood on the sidewalk. 

“So, what now?” Luna asked as she stepped out of the way for local commuters. Peter didn’t hear it. All he could hear was his own heartbeat thundering in his ears. He was zoned out, staring at a very familiar mop of brown curls across the street.  _ MJ was across the street.  _

As if the girl could sense she was being stared at, MJ turned around, looking for the source of the feeling, and Peter quickly turned around, looking down at his feet. He cleared his throat and looked over at Luna. “Sorry, what did you say?”

“Seriously, dude? We’re trying to save the world and you’re getting distracted?” Dawn asked sarcastically, lightly punching him in the shoulder. “ _ Focus _ .”

“Okay, okay,” Peter huffed, putting his hands up to placate the fiery teen. “Someone should knock on the door.”

“Why don’t you do it? You know the guy,” Luna suggested, pushing him towards the large door. He sighed, walking up the few steps with the girls following closely behind him. He knocked, waiting for a response as he kept his back to the sidewalk. 

A few moments later, Strange opened the door and glanced at the three teens. “Hey,  _ Ben _ .”

“Uh, _heyyy_ , Mr. Strange,” Peter greeted awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. Strange opened the door further and moved out of the way, staring at Luna. Peter paused for a moment, letting the girls in first. He glanced back across the street one last time and saw that MJ was gone. 

With a sigh, Peter finally made his way inside, allowing Strange to close the door. “What’s this  _ important thing _ you needed to discuss with me?” Strange asked, cutting to the chase. 

“We need your help,” Luna started, looking at him with as much seriousness as possible. “The fate of the world depends on it.”

Strange sighed deeply and motioned for them to follow him. He led them to a large room in the building filled with books. “My name is Luna, and this is my coven-sister Dawn. We’re witches.”

“I could tell,” Strange said with a mild sneer, and took a seat. The teens followed suit, making themselves comfortable as Strange continued. “I sense a lot of magical energy from both of you… You especially, Luna. The most magical energy I’ve seen in a...  _ being _ ... We’ll table that for later, though. What’s threatening Earth this time?”

Luna was confused by his wording, but shook it off and started talking, giving him the whole rundown like she did to Peter and Dawn in the car. Except this time, she pulled the book of Prophecies from her backpack and handed it to Strange. “We need to find a goddess and her true name. Can you help us?”

Strange used his magic to speed read the book, and he scanned the last page before looking up at Luna. “you know that’s only one half of the prophecy, right?”

“I’ll worry about the other part later,” she said as she snatched the book back from him. Strange gave Peter an unreadable look, and Luna brought the sorcerer’s attention back to the problem at hand. “Can you help us find a goddess or not? I know a spell but I don’t have enough energy for it.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Strange responded, waving his hand and using his magic to transport them to a different room. He sat in a meditating position and motioned for the girls to sit with him so they formed a circle. Peter stood awkwardly, watching them with curious eyes as they got to work. “Yaknow, it requires a  _ lot _ of magical energy to summon a goddess.”

The girls ignored the sorcerer’s annoyed tone and got to work. Luna put a bowl in the middle and started placing some herbs and a few bones into it. Strange sighed but let her set up her stuff. He started muttering words under his breath as he moved his hands around in a pattern.

“Atlas Orbis domina, mater. Dolores inferni circumdederunt. praebueris commodo virtute et robore tuo,” Luna whispered quietly, and she felt a surge of magic within her being. Luna’s body became engulfed in a vibrant green light, and Strange shot out a hand, wisps of orange magic being fed into her green. Dawn copied the action, and yellow met the orange and green as Luna started murmuring a spell under her breath.

Peter watched in awe as the colours danced around the three. His mouth dropped at how much  _ power _ Luna had. Her magic easily outshone the others, casting the room in a slightly green light as she worked. She finished off the spell by summoning a dagger and slicing her palm, letting droplets of blood fall into the bowl. The visible magic flickered away as the bowl caught fire, and Luna threw some sort of powder into the fire, causing a minor explosion that filled the room with a dense smoke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Atlas Orbis domina, mater. Dolores inferni circumdederunt. praebueris commodo virtute et robore tuo - Lady Luna, mother. I call upon you. please lend me your power and strength


	13. Chapter 13

“ _Holy shit_ , are you guys okay?” Peter asked in shock, coughing slightly from the smoke. He stepped closer to where they were sitting, unable to see in the cloud.

“Great, Luna, you managed to break all three rules!” Dawn groaned with a cough, hidden from the smoke. Peter relaxed ever so slightly, knowing that at least one of them was okay.

“Leave it to a witch to make a mess of the place…” Peter heard Strange grumble, and he slowed down as he neared the group.

“Luna…?” Peter asked, his worry picking up again. There was a flash of orange in the smoke before it all vanished, and they looked at the silent girl. She opened her eyes and looked around the room.

“Where is she?” Luna asked as she got up. Peter grabbed her and helped her the rest of the way, looking around the near empty room.

“Who?” He asked, looking down at her in confusion.

“The goddess I summoned!” Luna sassed, crossing her arms when she noticed there were no new people around.

“The spell won’t work when there’s already a goddess present,” Everyone suddenly looked up at the new voice and Luna ripped her arm out of Peter’s grip in shock.

“Mom?!” Luna shouted in surprise, stepping forwards slightly. Lady Luna was wearing the same outfit as her daughter had seen before, and Peter watched in shock and confusion as they interacted. Lady Luna floated in the room translucently, a ghostly white glow around her.

“I can’t stay long, amica mea, I don’t have much power left,” She responded to her daughter as the girl stood a head below her. Peter noted the resemblance, such as stature and face shape, but Luna didn’t share her eyes nor her hair, and she wasn’t as dark as her mother. “The goddess you are looking for is  _ you _ , my daughter.”

“W-What?” Luna asked in shock, shaking her head in denial. “I’m not a goddess! I’m a demi. You told me yourself!”

Dawn’s jaw dropped as she stood next to Peter. The turn of events shocked the two teens as the apparent  _ goddesses _ paid them no mind. Lady Luna looked down at her daughter and shook her head sadly. “I said that to protect you,  _ cara _ , Olympus knows what would have happened if people found out your true heritage. The gods consider you impure, refusing to believe your birthright because of who your father is. Jupiter forced me to make a choice during your birth: exile myself from Olympus or destroy you, and I couldn’t bear to lose you. You’re so special, Luna. You may not be considered a goddess in the eyes of Jupiter and Olympus, but you  _ are _ a goddess and it is your divine right to take my place now that I no longer walk the Earth.”

Luna looked up at her mom, heartbreak evident on her face. There were so many questions running through her head and she didn’t know what to ask, the words coming out of her mouth before she could even figure out what to say. “Who is my dad? Does he even know I exist…?”

Lady Luna’s form flickered slightly, and she looked down at her daughter in sadness. “I’m sorry, filia mea, it’s time for me to go… I love you.”

“What? No! You can’t do this again! I need answers!” Luna shouted frantically as she ran her hands through her hair in distraught. “Who is my dad?!”

“Your father’s name is Lo-” Lady Luna was cut off as her figure faded out of existence. Luna screamed in anguish as she crumpled to the ground in tears. Peter and Dawn rushed towards her, pulling her into a comforting embrace. Strange watched the interaction as his mind ran through all of the events. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> amica mea- my love  
> cara- dear  
> filia mea- my child
> 
> also, any guesses on who Luna's dad is?


	14. Chapter 14

Eventually, Luna was able to calm down and she sniffled one last time as she wiped her face. “Now that you’re done with that,” Strange commented boredly as he commanded everyone’s attention. “Yaknow, It makes sense why your magic is so strong. According to the prophecy, you just need to find your name. Then your magic is gonna get a whole lot stronger…”

“I already know my name!” Luna snapped as she glared at the man. “My name is Luna De Luca.”

“What if the prophecy is talking about your should’ve been name?” Peter asked quietly as he looked around at the group. “Like, usually, people take their father’s last name.”

Dawn snapped her fingers in understanding as she looked at Peter in excitement. “That actually makes a lot of sense! What if De Luca is just the surname your mom gave you to protect who you are?”

“Oh great…” She muttered as Strange started pacing in thought. He rubbed his goatee as he stared ahead of him, ignoring the quiet bickering between the two witches.

He abruptly turned back towards the trio, looking at them as they talked. “The prophecy said two paths of lore, correct?” Strange’s voice hushed the bickering girls and the teens looked up at Strange as he thought. Luna confirmed his thoughts and he nodded. “I have no clue who your father is, but I know someone that can probably help.”

“Who?” Peter asked. Strange walked out of the room, the teens hot on his tail as he wandered throughout the sanctum like a man on a mission.

“Where are we going?” Dawn asked petulantly as they did their best to follow him. He practically jogged down the grand staircase and Luna huffed to keep up. Short leg problems and whatnot.

“Can we please slow down?” Luna cried out in exasperation. Strange stopped abruptly at the bottom of the staircase causing Luna to crash into Peter, who crashed into Dawn, Who crashed into Strange. He glared down at the girl who shrunk back slightly from the gaze, and he huffed as he stepped forward.

“You guys might want to grab a jacket.” Strange waved his hands and his robes were exchanged for a black puffy jacket, snow pants and boots. He looked at the teens who just stood there in confusion and sighed in annoyance, waving his hands to dress them.

“Where are we going?” Peter asked nervously. He  _ hated _ the cold. He shoved his glove covered hands into the pockets of his jacket and blew some of the hair out of his face. Luna made a face at the puffy green jacket she was wearing and looked at Strange.

“I don’t think all of this is necessary…” She trailed off as she looked at the others bound up in their winter wear.

“Where we’re going, it is,” Strange responded as he opened a portal. Before anyone could say anything else, the portal flew towards them, dropping them in the snow.


	15. Chapter 15

Strange got up and walked further into the small fishing town, his eyes set on one person. Luna looked around in awe, the weather was amazing. “Where is Thor?” Strange shouted out to a woman in the distance as he walked closer. She was untying some stuff near a lamp, seemingly packing away things for the night.

“Wait, did you say Thor?” Dawn asked in amazement as she trudged behind Strange, her mind on the god of thunder. Luna followed them a few paces, before turning around and practically dragging a chattering Peter that was still stuck.

“C’mon, Ben, it’s not  _ that _ cold…” Luna grunted as she tried to pull Peter out of the snow. He yelped as some of the snow fell into his jacket and bit his skin, and he finally took the help Luna was offering. They quickly made their way towards Dawn, Strange, and the woman he was talking to.

“C-C-Can we g-go inside, p-please?” Peter stuttered out, his lips turning blue from the chill. The wind whipped around, throwing his hair all over the place. 

“I love this place. Where are we?” Luna asked as she looked at Strange and the woman.

“Welcome to New Asgard,” she greeted, “I’m Brunnhilde. Let’s go inside before your _friend_ freezes to death.” Peter quickly pushed past everyone into the modest home and sighed in relief at the temperature change. He shucked off his wet coat and damn near threw himself into the fireplace, basking in the heat. 

Strange and Brunnhilde shared a look before heading inside. Dawn followed suit, turning towards Luna in the doorway. “You coming?”

“Yeah…” Luna looked longingly out at the snow one more time before going inside, quickly getting rid of her coat from the heat. Everyone had already taken seats and were making themselves comfortable by the fireplace. Luna took a seat towards the door, which was the furthest she could get from the damn thing.

“You’re looking for Thor?” Brunnhilde asked as she started taking off her boots. Peter was halfway naked, the majority of his clothes had gotten damp from the snow he was laying in 10 minutes prior. He lounged by the fire like a house cat, letting the warmth seep into his soul as he sat there only in his thin undershirt and compression leggings.

“Why are we looking for Thor again?” Luna asked as Dawn sighed dreamily at the mention of his name.

“Because Thor is a god, and he probably knows more gods who may know who your dad is.” Luna nodded in understanding and turned towards Brunnhilde.

“Thor actually isn’t on Earth right now,” She said somewhat sadly. “He’s out with the Galaxy Guardians. I can try and send a message to have him come back immediately.”

“Do you know how long that would take?” Strange asked.

“I can send the message now, though I won’t know when he will come back. I will inform him of the urgency, though.” Strange nodded and stood up, looking at the teens before looking back at Brunnhilde.

“I have to go back to the sanctum. Would you be able to watch over these three until Thor comes back?” Brunnhilde nodded and the two shook hands.

“Wait, so you’re just leaving us here?” Dawn asked, shooting him a look.

“I can’t leave the sanctum unguarded for too long. Brunnhilde will make sure you’re fine until I get back. And Ben can call me when Thor arrives.” With that, Strange opened a portal and left. The teens looked at the closing portal in shock as it disappeared. A second portal opened up shortly after and all of their things fell through it, clattering to the ground. Luna sighed and looked at the mess.

“It’s late, you three should get some rest. We can deal with that tomorrow,” Brunnhilde said as she guided the teens to the guest rooms. It had been a  _ long _ day.


	16. Chapter 16

A few days later, Peter woke up shivering slightly. It wasn’t as bad as outside, but damn was it cold. He burrowed further into the blankets and groaned quietly, before getting up and getting ready for the day, making sure to wear a beanie. 

Once he was dressed in double layers of everything, he sat in the living room and watched the fire as everyone was bumbling about around him. “Has anyone seen Luna?” Dawn asked as she brushed out her damp hair and sat across from him. Brunnhilde stepped out of the kitchen to look at them.

“She went outside. Can one of you let her know breakfast is almost ready?” Brunnhilde asked before going back into the kitchen. Peter and Dawn looked at each other, neither wanting to go outside.

“I can’t, I’ll get sick,” Dawn said as she pointed to her ginger hair, and Peter sighed before getting up. He put on his now dry snow jacket and stepped into the cold air, sucking in a breath at the chill.

“Luna?” Peter called out, looking around for her. The townspeople were bustling around for the day, and he saw her in the distance sitting on a crate. She waved to him and he briskly walked up to her. “Are you crazy? You’re going to get sick!”

Luna looked down at her thin sweater and leggings, and shrugged. “It’s not that cold out here, Ben. I promise I’m fine.”   


Peter sighed and sat next to her, shivering slightly as he looked around. “Breakfast is almost done.”

Luna nodded in understanding and looked back out at the people; and they sat in comfortable silence for a moment. Luna bit her lip in thought before speaking again. “Are you ever gonna tell me about why you left New York?”

Peter straightened up a bit at the topic, sitting rigid with anxiety. “W-why? Where did that come from?”

“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to… it just feels a bit weird that you know so much about me and I know practically nothing about you.” Luna smiled wryly as she thought about everything he had told her and how most of it was a lie.

“I… it’s a really difficult subject to talk about...” Peter responded dejectedly. His heart panged in grief for the people he had to leave behind, and the fact that less than 24 hours ago he saw MJ for the first time in  _ months _ and she didn’t even know.

“I understand. I just feel a bit shitty sometimes about it,” Luna said as she looked down at her lap. “ _ And it’d be nice to know your name. Your real name… _ ” She mumbled under her breath but Peter picked it up anyways.

“How do you know about that?!” Peter asked, his mind starting to panic.  _ Did she know who he was? Was she plotting against him?? Was this all just a big set up??? _

“Okay, this is gonna sound a bit weird,” Luna started off, nervously playing with the ends of her sweater and effectively cutting off his internal crisis. “But, I have this  _ thing… _ I can tell when people are lying to me. I don’t know how or why, but I just can. And before you ask, it’s not a normal witch thing. I guess I get it from my dad?”

“Oh…”

“Yeah, and I understand if something really fucked up happened and you don’t wanna talk about it, but you don’t really tell the truth a lot… I just wanted to make sure things were okay, I guess. Almost everything you and your ‘mom’ have told me has been a lie. Are you guys in witness protection or something?” Luna asked, her large green eyes looking at him in empathy. He gulped visibly, unsure of how to answer.

“If I tell you about me, you’ll be in danger…” He decided on saying after gathering his bearings. She put a hand on his shoulder comfortingly, leaning in slightly in understanding.

“I’m no stranger to danger,” She whispered quietly. He leaned in slightly, entranced by her eyes. They reminded him of a forest, hints of brown specs intertwined with the emerald of her irises. 

“It’s probably not the kind of danger you’re used to…” She glanced down at his lips before looking back into his eyes, and he copied the action, though he stared at her lips for a moment longer.

“I think I can handle it.” Their noses were practically touching, and he felt her warm breaths fan lightly across his face. She closed her eyes, and he followed suit as she slowly leaned in more. Their lips were millimeters apart when MJ’s face flashed into his mind, and he jumped away from Luna as if she burned him. 

Her eyes snapped open, hurt flashing across her face as he cleared his throat awkwardly. “B-Breakfast is probably ready,” he said, his voice cracking slightly as he rushed back into the house, blushing heavily in embarrassment and guilt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm gonna do a weekly posting schedule for this one. expect a new chapter every tuesday !

**Author's Note:**

> please comment ! I love interacting with y'all 🥺


End file.
